Tuesday, April 18, 2023

My First Experience with AI

Something happened this week that completely took me by surprise. I knew it would eventually happen, but I just didn't think it would be so soon.

This past weekend I was grading essays and came across one that was very well written. Too well written. It wasn't 6th grade writing, and it certainly wasn't typical of the work I've seen from this student.

I took my usual next step of putting it through a plagiarism checker. Nothing showed up--100% unique. I tried a few others and received the same results.

Image from Pixabay
I was stumped. 

And then occurred to me...artificial intelligence? Could it be? Could a 6th grader know how to do that? Could I be so naive to think this wouldn't happen in my classroom of 6th graders?

Monday came, and I had the students--yes, I am up to four now--bring me their computers. I searched their history, and sure enough, there it was. Searches and links to AI websites.

Right now, we have no policies in place, but I told my principal, "We better get ready. It's not coming; it's here."

We began testing this week, so I have not addressed it with the students yet, but this was certainly a wake-up call for me.

If you have any experience with students using AI to "cheat" I would love to hear how you and/or your school handled it. I am obviously not prepared!

 After participating in the Slice of Life March Challenge by Two Writing Teachers, I am continuing to write my stories with other teacher-writers as we share a slice of life on Tuesdays.

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11 comments:

  1. Barbara EdlerApril 18, 2023 at 7:43 PM

    Wow, this is so disheartening, but also believable. I think going back to pen and paper may be one answer although I know how frustrating it can be to struggle through handwritten work. My penmanship alone is atrocious, and I love all that is capable with word processing. I do have students submit to turnitin.com. I noticed it now has an AI checker. I know there are other AI checkers so someone on a tech team needs to start finding something financially sound for your school to adopt. Good luck.

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  2. Jenna KomarinApril 18, 2023 at 8:12 PM

    Thank you for sharing this experience. What do you think you're going to say to these students? I wonder what the kids understand about using this technology and how you can help reframe it for them so that they use it more appropriately in the future.

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  3. arjehaApril 18, 2023 at 8:15 PM

    This is just another reason why I am glad that I am retired.

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    1. RamonaApril 18, 2023 at 8:34 PM

      Me too! Oh, the challenges of teaching in this day and age!

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  4. Debbie LynnApril 18, 2023 at 8:39 PM

    Oh wow...you are correct saying, "It's not coming, it's here!" While it has positive uses, you know it will be used for the worst. :/

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  5. drferreriblogspot.comApril 18, 2023 at 10:22 PM

    I share your concerns about AI. I am currently teaching grad school classes in literacy and learning at a NYC University and have had multiple assignments that have left me in concern about AI. On all levels, AI is emerging and becoming a tool for reports and finishing assignments. I have participated in several AI workshops that suggest the best defense is an offense where you create assignments that are less likely to be AI options. Forgetabout reports - try to analyze data....I am not sure I am ahead of the AI options....but I am trying

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  6. patricia emersonApril 19, 2023 at 8:18 AM

    There are so many people writing about using AI constructively and having those ethical discussions around it—what it can and cannot do. I acknowledge the challenge, but I also think you can make it a teachable moment. This article from Middle Web might be the place to start. Good Luck in this brave new world!

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    1. Leigh Anne EckApril 20, 2023 at 5:26 PM

      Thank you for the link. I feel like I need to read as much as possible although it may have to wait until summrer!

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  7. Denise KrebsApril 19, 2023 at 9:35 AM

    Leigh Anne, good luck with that. Oh, my! I just saw this illustration yesterday that may help. I don't know if sixth graders are old enough to understand the subtleties of it, but possibly it could serve as a talking point with your students. I saw a $335,000/yr job advertised for what is called a prompt engineer. We can't ignore it.https://www.instagram.com/p/CrLHH0aubHa/

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  8. Elisabeth EllingtonApril 20, 2023 at 6:00 AM

    So interesting! My students still appear to be googling and copying chunks of text, but I do plan to introduce them to chatGPT and have them play around with it before the end of the year. I have been using it to generate sample essays for required assessment prompts which we then analyze together, revise, and improve. It did a terrible job with the last unit assessment prompt (which was about poetry) and a pretty decent job with the current unit. Here are a couple of articles I found thought-provoking and helpful: https://derekbruff.org/?p=3995 and https://biblioracle.substack.com/p/chatgpt-cant-kill-anything-worth

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    1. Leigh Anne EckApril 20, 2023 at 5:27 PM

      Thank you Elisabeth! The resources are appreciated.

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